Full Disclosure
by erindarroch
Summary: In the aftermath of the destruction of the second Death Star, Han & Leia have some catching up to do. This is part of Sue Zahn's 'Kismet' series, tracing the development of their relationship. HSLO Han/Leia
1. Chapter 1

**Full Disclosure**

By Susan Zahn and Erin Darroch

 **Summary:** In the aftermath of the destruction of the second _Death Star_ , Han and Leia have some catching up to do.

 **Disclaimer:** All characters depicted herein are the property of Lucasfilm, Disney, etc. Our only profit is in the form of readers' feedback. Please be generous!

 **Ratings/Warnings:** M; mild language; angst; adult themes

 **Tags:** Han/Leia. Romance/Angst. Han Solo/Leia Organa

 **Note:** With thanks to our lovely beta readers: CorieMariee, BonesBooth206, YellinYee, and Marjorie Joyce.

Chapter 1

 _The family you come from isn't as important as the family you're going to have._

-Ring Lardner

 _Just because everything is different doesn't mean anything has changed._

\- Irene Peter

It was inevitable that the boisterous celebration would give way to quiet reflection as the evening wore on and the survivors of the Battle of Endor surrendered to contemplation, inebriation, or sheer exhaustion. The bonfires interspersed throughout the Ewok village had died down, allowing those still awake to sit closer in comradeship as the chill air of the night crept in.

Not that Han Solo needed any excuse to wrap a protective and proudly possessive arm around Princess Leia Organa. He was pretty sure that nothing short of an Artusian mining drill could have pried him away from his treasured spot beside her tonight. Between their whispered playful conversation and countless kisses, they'd become rather oblivious to the rest of the universe, and at some point most of the universe must have retreated to more interesting and less awkward places to continue the festivities, leaving them virtually alone on their particular platform high amongst the trees. Their only company was another affectionate couple across the fire from them, a pair of young Ewoks who appeared to be likewise engrossed in private conversation.

The hypnotic flames of the small fire they were seated before had finally lulled them into silence, and neither were keen to end the peaceful and cozy interlude. Han shifted his arm around Leia's shoulders, and she dropped her head back as he initiated another kiss. She responded with warmth and, for a long moment, he indulged in the heady pleasure of her mouth moving against his, and the intimate caress of her hand sliding down the length of his thigh. Although they'd withdrawn from socializing when they'd settled down together by the fire, he was becoming increasingly aware of the need for them to find a final destination for the night—and soon. The night was wearing on and the accumulation of kisses was having a strong effect on him and, he thought, on Leia, too. It was with some dismay, then, that he felt her begin to pull away slightly, a look of distraction in her dark eyes. She sat forward and turned her head to look at him over the curve of her shoulder, her face framed by a loose cascade of fire-lit brown hair.

"You still need to report to High Command tonight," she reminded him with apparent reluctance. "We both do."

"Our job's _done_ , Sweetheart," he informed her, purposefully trailing his fingertips up the line of her spine through the thin material of her borrowed dress. " _Death Star_ number two is dust. I think we've earned a night off. Anyway, what're they gonna do? Reprimand us?"

"Yes, actually. That's exactly what they'll do."

"Well, _I_ don't give a damn. And what's one more reprimand for you, Princess?"

Leia gave him a half-sweet, half-sour look. "Thanks for the reminder, General."

As his hand slipped beneath her unbound hair to caress the nape of her neck, though, she closed her eyes and leaned into his touch once more. "Reporting to High Command does seem an anticlimactic way to end the evening, doesn't it?"

Han grinned at her choice of words and leaned forward to slip his other hand around her waist, enjoying the way she tilted easily towards him, melting under his touch. "Speaking of climactic ways to end the evening…I'll tell you whatI'd _like_ to do," he murmured against her ear. "How about we commandeer one of these little huts and I'll ravish you in a pile of furs?"

She rewarded his proposition with a faint blush and a smile, but she had clearly made up her mind to resist further distraction for the moment. "Han.…"

The hint of reservation in her voice reminded him that their monthlong journey to Bespin—when they'd finally reached a deeply satisfying level of intimacy together—had taken place over half a year ago. Although it seemed to Han like only a matter of days, Leia had lived through every minute of that long separation, and he'd clearly missed some important developments while he had been hanging unconscious on Jabba's wall. Just when he thought they'd finally surmounted all the old obstacles, it was starting to feel like new ones were arising. There was something else between them now, a lurking shadow behind her eyes that told Han he would have to rein in his ambitions for the evening, at least until they had settled whatever it was that was bothering her. Leia's expression grew more serious as she appeared to summon her courage.

"Han," she began, adopting a marginally more formal tone and drawing away to put some space between their bodies. She drew up one leg and shifted to face him. "We need to talk.…"

Han nodded with a sigh, reluctantly acquiescing to the change in mood. Eager as he was to continue with their kissing and caressing, he knew her well enough to recognize that she wasn't going to be deterred. "Yeah, I've been waiting for this. This is the part where you explain to me how Luke is your brother _._ "

A slight frown creased her brow. "Well, yes. But there's more to it than that." Leia studied his face. Although she seemed to be judging whether or not he was ready to hear the explanation, he got the feeling she was the one who felt unready. "It's…complicated."

"I imagine it'd have to be. Go ahead, tell me." To emphasize the point that she had his full attention, he removed his hands from where they rested on her body and clasped them loosely in his own lap, waiting.

Seemingly reassured by his tone and demeanor, she drew a deep breath. "You know that I was adopted into the Organa family, right?"

Han nodded. "Sure, I did my due diligence on you some time ago." He gave her the briefest teasing lift of an eyebrow—she'd accused him of as much while on their long sublight trip through the Anoat System, in part to deflect his own teasing over her doing exactly the same in her early attempts to know him better.

"Right. That part of my life was fairly public. But most of the details remained confidential. There was no mention of where I'd come from or that my mother was from Naboo."

Han watched her, racking his brain for any scraps of old history but coming up short. Naboo was a Mid-Rim planet in the Chommell sector, but beyond the fact that a major early battle in the fall of the Old Republic had taken place there, the name meant little to him.

"My mother—my _real_ mother and Luke's—was Padmé Naberrie. She was a queen of Naboo, and was married, evidently in secret, to a Jedi knight. We were born twins, and she died shortly afterward." Leia's rich voice dropped almost to a whisper as she spoke the last words, and a flicker of profound sadness crossed her features. Han's eyes roamed her face, trying to match the information she was supplying to the catalog of knowledge he'd accumulated about her and Luke.

"Twins, huh? I guess that explains your both having the same Majority Day…." He remembered the night on Serricci when they'd discovered that fact. Leia nodded, giving him a moment to absorb the news.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi was our mother's friend, and Luke thinks that it was his decision to separate us after she died. He sent us into hiding to protect us from the Sith, who were destroying the Jedi Order at the time. I was given to Bail Organa and his wife, Breha."

"So you jumped from one royal house to another?"

"Yes, essentially. Luke was taken far away to an exact opposite situation, to be raised on Tatooine as a simple moisture farmer. Obi-Wan remained nearby and Luke remembers seeing him and talking to him every now and then as he was growing up. Luke thinks now that Ben was there to watch over him. To protect him. So he grew up, like I did, without knowing anything about his real parents."

"Until he intercepted your message to Kenobi…." Han was beginning to appreciate the sheer scale of such a coincidence. Leia's expression told him that she felt as amazed and mystified by the apparent facts as he did. Her escape from the _Death Star_ had been miraculous enough; the fact that her own long-lost twin brother had been the one to release her from her cell simply beggared belief. As he tried to process that fact, a darker thought intruded and he met her gaze again. "How long have you known?"

"That's complicated, too," she sighed. "I mean, I only learned the truth last night, and Luke was told when he went back to Dagobah to finish his Jedi training. But I've always suspected something was…different…about him. Not like you." Leia ducked her head slightly, almost seeming to blush again, then lifted her kaffe-colored eyes to his. "You know what I mean. I never felt the same way for him as I did for you."

"You could have fooled me," Han smirked, trying to lighten the mood a little. He could tell from her face that she knew which incident he had in mind.

" _That_ was intentional, to make you jealous when you deserved it. Although I suppose I could have made a better choice of whom to kiss.…" She trailed off, looking mildly embarrassed as she glanced across the fire. Han followed her gaze and noticed that the Ewok couple had given up on conversation in favor of more demonstrative expressions of affection. He raised an eyebrow and looked back at Leia with a suggestive little grin.

"Wouldn't have mattered who you kissed. I still would've been jealous."

Her expression lightened for just a moment; she turned back to him and returned his smile, accepting his confession for what it was. "I did feel a connection to Luke. Immediately. But it was nothing like the sort of… _chemistry_ I was feeling with you. I didn't know what to make of it because there was no context to it, other than in comparison with you. I didn't know what to do with all those emotions."

Han felt a bit lost. This was the sort of conversation most men would steer a wide course around, and the sensation was compounded by the fact it was coming from a woman who rarely talked about anything so personal. This side of her—of their entire relationship, for that matter—was new to him. So he didn't say anything. That seemed the safest bet.

Internally, however, her words triggered a flood of memories of the times—and there had been many over the past couple of years—when he'd watched Luke and Leia together and noticed their similarities. In his darker moments, he'd even felt resentful and jealous of the easy camaraderie between them, of the seemingly effortless harmony they enjoyed together. The fact that they were twins explained so much.

"When Luke initially told me about this last night, and then when we talked again this afternoon and shared what little we knew, I realized how there were so many hints along the way. Little pieces to the puzzle that I've had all along. Without that context of the bigger picture, I had no idea what they could mean. But it all just snaps into place and makes sense now."

"Hints?"

Leia nodded and began to elaborate, ticking off reasons on her slim fingers. "Why the topic of the Force was never forgotten in the Organa chambers, and why I was educated in that aspect of Old Republic history when most of the galaxy either ignored or outright banned the subject. Why my father—my adopted father—sent _me_ to find Kenobi when he felt desperate enough and the time was right, rather than some other courier, a safer choice. Why Luke and I almost instantly understood and anticipated one another in a way I could never explain."

"Because of the Force?" Han's old habit of automatically dismissing such mystical talk was at war with his desire to understand what she was laying out before him, and where she could possibly be heading with this story. It was all still pretty far-fetched, but then again he'd seen some crazy things since hooking up with these two people—twins!—and at this point, he was prepared to believe just about anything.

"Yes, because the Force is strong in our family, and those who separated us had their reasons to keep us hidden. I suppose their hope was that we would be given the chance to grow up and help defeat the Emperor and his Sith."

"Wait. Does that mean _you're_ …uh…?" Han faltered, as the actual meaning behind her words began to sink in.

"Force-sensitive?" She smiled faintly at his expression. "I think so. My adopted parents never told me that I had that potential, but little things I'd never been able to fully understand or explain began to happen as I grew older. Sixth-sense things, like flashes of insight and emotions I could detect whenever I spoke with someone. The occasional dream of events that eventually happened. They didn't mean anything to me at the time because they were out of context, but they just _felt_ like more than normal dreams. Premonitions and 'bad feelings.'"

"Well, you aren't alone in having those. I get them all the time. Comes with the territory."

Leia's dark eyes held a hint of a smile, as though she were grateful that he was keeping things grounded with his usual humor. "Yes, only mine were eerily accurate enough after the fact to leave me wondering. Like when I said I needed to be with you when you confronted Jabba. Things didn't happen exactly how I'd 'seen' it, but in the end I was right. I _was_ there with you."

Han remembered her sharing that premonition specifically, and how much he'd been spooked by it—by the complete conviction she'd shown about it at the time.

"I realize now that this special ability has probably helped me all along, fueling those intuitions that gave me such an advantage when I became politically active. I didn't know how I was doing it, or even that it was anything special.…" She shrugged a slim shoulder and looked down, picking absentmindedly at the hem of her buckskin dress.

"So you think you were actually tapping into this Force thing all those times?" He was remembering some of the many instances when she'd caught him with that uncanny ability of hers to anticipate him, or to suss out what he wasn't saying. All those times she'd seemed to read him like a datapad when he'd tried to hide behind half-truths and bravado. She'd read him from the very first day they'd met.

"Yes, I think so, although not consciously. It wasn't until Bespin…" She hesitated, her eyes once again shifting into a faraway gaze for a long moment. "It wasn't until we were in Cloud City, with Vader, that I started to realize the truth."

Han drew his head back slightly as he let that sink in. They'd barely had time or inclination to talk about the specifics of what had happened during their forced separation in Vader's custody, or after Han had been encased in carbonite. He'd only gotten the rundown of major events from Chewbacca and Lando Calrissian. He had no idea of what Vader might have done to Leia then, and he dreaded finding out. All he did know was that the Sith Lord had been present and an active participant in her detainment on the first _Death Star_ —it was one of the things she'd eventually shared with him during their countless and priceless talks during that long sublight trip. "But that wasn't the first time you ran into Vader.…"

"No. He told me while in Cloud City that he'd suspected I had some Force ability that first time, which is why he'd ordered a stay of execution just before you and Luke arrived on the _Death Star_."

Han actually saw her shudder, despite the radiating warmth of the bonfire. He resisted the urge to pull her into his arms. He wanted nothing more than to shield her from the disturbing thoughts that clouded her features, but the tension in her slender frame told him that she had more of the story to tell before she would accept any comfort.

"The Force was awakening in me and Vader recognized it. He tested me on Bespin. I didn't know how or why, but I reacted on instinct and shut him out. But it was too late. He then used me, used that power somehow, as a beacon to draw Luke. That's why he tortured us and didn't even bother with questions."

Han could feel his stomach flip at the bitter memory, both from the fear he still felt from the event, and in sick anger at the very thought of Leia being manipulated that way.

"I could feel it then, like nothing I'd ever felt before, but I still couldn't understand it, and I think on some level I didn't want to. I didn't want any part of it, or of him."

"Understandable," Han grunted. He expected Leia to agree in that moment, and wasn't prepared for the look of pain that flashed across her lovely face. It was enough to make him think he'd said something wrong. But she pressed on.

"But then Luke called out to me through the Force. That was how I knew where to find him and rescue him there. That was when I knew exactly what was happening. It _was_ the Force I'd been feeling all that time. It still made no sense to me why or how, but I couldn't deny it anymore."

"Luke _called out_ to you?"

Leia nodded, dropping her gaze from his. "He did, somehow. He spoke to me, even though I was already on board the _Falcon_ and we were escaping. He was just suddenly there in my mind, and I knew where he was, and that he was in a great deal of pain, and I had to go to him…."

Han drew a slow breath in, still taking all this in and trying to process everything. "And that's how you knew today that Luke was okay after this _Death Star_ blew up?"

"Yes." She lifted her eyes to his. The nearby fire limned her features in gold and made her loose hair appear almost russet in color. Han had to resist once again the urge to reach out and touch her, to draw her close, kiss her and erase the uncertainty in her eyes. Instead, he simply nodded in acknowledgement of what she was telling him.

"So you have a special connection with him?"

"Yes…but…it wasn't until last night that I learned the full truth. About our father."

"Don't tell me it was old man Kenobi?" Han tossed out as he drew another deep breath and straightened out his back, starting to feel like he was reaching the saturation point.

Leia visibly winced at his offhanded joke, and he wished he could take it back.

"No. Our father was a Jedi Knight named Anakin Skywalker. He _was_ …until he fell to the Dark Side and became known by a different name…."

And it was only then, as her words lingered in the cool night air and he saw the very real pain from the night before reemerge in her expression, that Han began to grasp the larger picture. He'd been paying such close attention to the warp and weft of the story she was weaving that he'd failed to notice the grand pattern. They were talking of fallen Jedi Knights and the collapse of the Old Republic here; there were some things that still remained common knowledge, at least to those old enough to remember the immediate aftermath. A cold chill settled into the pit of his stomach as he looked at her, and he felt a whole new level of appreciation for just how brave she really was.

"Ah…." There was no question that Han was feeling a bit nauseated now. It was all falling into place for him, finally. "That was your father back in Cloud City, wasn't it?"

Leia's head snapped up and she searched his eyes, even as he tried to read the myriad emotions flashing in her own.

"Darth Vader," he supplied, his tone flat.

She looked away again, her head dropping as if in final defeat in shame. "Yes."

"And that's why Vader knew we were here on this moon? Through that connection?"

"Yes."

The very magnitude of this news left him stunned, speechless. His rapidly over-clocking brain pieced together that information and matched it against other lingering questions, such as why three star destroyers and Vader's own flagship had inexplicably broken formation to chase after them as they escaped from Hoth, and how the Sith Lord had anticipated and awaited their arrival on Bespin. The monstrous creature had been using the Force to track and hunt his own child.

Staring at Leia, it felt as though he were looking at someone he barely recognized…and yet that wasn't true. She was still very much the same woman he'd spent more than two years getting to know very well. All those little hints were facts, and they'd always been there, yet it felt as though, until this moment, he'd been looking at her through a huge and unfocused lens that had suddenly sharpened into perfect clarity.

If there was one thing he _did_ still know for a fact about Leia, it was that she would automatically shoulder the blame for this, like she did for so many other things that had happened around her—things completely out of her control. He could see it in her eyes even now—that look of regret and fear, and what he suspected was a dose of self-loathing. The reason was obvious, and that was one thing he _could_ do something about, that he had the power to correct.

"Leia, none of that changes anything."

"But…."

"None of us gets to choose our parents. Hell, I left my family and changed my name because I didn't want anything to do with them or their business anymore. As far as I'm concerned, you're still the same person you were before last night. You were _already_ all these things. The only thing that's different now is that you know _why_ , and the only way that's gonna change things is if you let it."

That declaration seemed to silence her objections and she met his gaze with a look full of relief and gratitude, although he could see a trace of uncertainty lingering in her eyes. She voiced her misgivings a moment later.

"But Vader was so _evil_ ," she said in a low voice, dropping her gaze. "There's no doubt about that, no matter what Luke says about him being full of regrets at the end of his life. He was _vile_ , and nothing can reverse the harm he did. And if Luke and I have inherited Force sensitivity from him, what else—"

"Stop that," Han interjected. "I _know_ you. And I know Luke. You've both had lots of reasons to go bad—more reasons than most people I can think of. But you haven't. In fact, the two of you've done more to fight him than practically anyone else in the galaxy. If that's not proof that you're better than him, then I don't know what is."

Han had hoped that his little speech would be enough to lift her spirits, but his comments seemed only to have reminded her of something else. She fidgeted for a moment, dark eyes averted, biting at the corner of her mouth. Although she looked distinctly uncomfortable, she nevertheless seemed determined to drag something else out into the open.

"There's one other thing…. Something that happened on Jabba's barge."

Han swallowed hard. He wasn't sure he wanted to know the details of what had happened to Leia at Jabba's hands, and certainly not on the heels of everything else she'd told him. He was starting to regret asking in the first place. He scanned Leia's face as she gathered the next words.

"I was chained to Jabba's platform when Luke made his move. Everyone was distracted, watching the skiff and what Luke was doing out there. And I…took advantage of the opportunity to free myself."

"That's my girl," Han murmured with a smile, reluctant to interrupt, but unable to stifle his admiration of her courage.

"But I didn't just free myself. I couldn't have been strong enough on my own. I usedthe Force. And my chain." She gave him a meaningful look.

Han gazed back at her, reading between the lines of her confession, while imagining a rather brutal scene in his head. She was offering nothing more, but he didn't need the details. Her troubled expression told him that she was disturbed by her own actions, and that was another thing he could do something about.

"It wasn't anything he didn't deserve," Han summed up, loading his voice with a tone of absolute certainty. It was a safe assumption that half the galaxy would sleep easier now that Jabba was dead; Han was sure of that and he wanted Leia to realize it, too. "And it was in self-defense. You used the tools you had handy—all of them. That's called being resourceful."

Leia opened her mouth, as if preparing to contradict him, but then she closed it and he could tell she was reading him again as she scanned his face.

Okay, yes, he conceded to himself, maybe the experience of being read by her felt a little different now knowing _how_ she saw through him so easily. The result hadn't changed, though.

And indeed, as if she'd seen through him to his heart and found the truth there, Leia seemed to relax ever so slightly. She sighed. "You needed to know, Han. Before we go any further. Before we get any more serious about one another, you needed to hear everything."

"And I'm telling you none of these things changes anything for me. Hell, Leia, do you think I'd have gone through all this just to give up on you now?"

"This afternoon you seemed ready enough…!"

He gave her a stern look. "You _know_ that was different. I thought you'd changed your mind about _me_."

Leia shook her head, sending a cascade of loose brown hair tumbling over her shoulder. "No. Never." She fixed her dark eyes on his and he could see the lingering question there. "I worried that it would change things for you—after you learned the truth—but I couldn't bear the thought of trying to move forward with those secrets between us."

"Well, stop worrying," Han said flatly. "Jabba got what he deserved. And Vader may have helped create you, but he wasn't the father who raised you. I know you're a good person at heart. You're _nothing_ like him…. Does that help you feel any better?"

Leia's eyes stayed on his as she nodded, a faint smile brightening her features. For the first time since their conversation had turned serious, she tentatively reached over to place her hand over his clasped ones. "It does. Thank you."

Han enclosed her hand within his and was about to attempt to lighten the mood with a quip, but then something else she'd mentioned suddenly resurfaced in his mind. His grip on her hand tightened.

"Wait…before we get _more_ serious? What do you mean?" After nearly missing that clue, Han wasn't about to blow this opportunity by jumping to the wrong conclusion. In all the turmoil and rush of the days since his rescue from Jabba's clutches, they'd yet to actually talk about a future together, and during the trip to Bespin they'd avoided the topic because it had seemed painfully futile. Even now, he wondered if they were speaking prematurely—tempting fate by looking too far forward, with too much hope.

Leia's expression changed slightly. "Well, I mean…" she faltered, obviously groping for words. "I don't know. Just…well, what did _you_ have in mind?"

For a long moment, Han simply stared at her. He scarcely knew _what_ he had in mind, apart from his short-term goal of getting as physically close to Leia as possible, as _soon_ as possible and for as _long_ as possible. In the long term, he also knew that he was as serious about continuing their relationship as he had ever been about anything in his life. The days since his emergence from carbonite had passed in frantic activity and now, here they were, with the remains of the second _Death Star_ drifting away into the blackness of space, and a wide-open universe of possibilities in front of them. For the first time since he'd dared to begin toying with the idea of a future with Leia, there seemed a real possibility that it could happen. He felt a slow smile spreading across his face and his head began nodding almost of its own accord.

"What do you think? You think a princess and a guy like me could work something out…?"

For the first time in days, Leia's smile seemed to reach her eyes. "I'm sure you've bet against longer odds…."

Relief flooded Han at the realization that they were finally on the same page. "Sure. But I have a hunch this particular gamble will pay off big-time."

Leia's smile grew even broader.

"Let's see…" Han gave her hand a squeeze and leaned in a little closer. "For a start, there's no bounty on my head."

Leia's chin tipped up ever so slightly, as if happy to let him draw out the facts. "That's right," she agreed.

"We've knocked out another _Death Star_ , and the Empire is on its knees."

"That's what they're saying in the reports."

"And you're _not_ in love with Luke."

Leia laughed quietly, shaking her head. "No. Or with anyone else."

"Except for me," he reminded her.

"Except for you," she affirmed with obvious affection.

"That _does_ sound serious," he teased, raising her hand to his lips to press a kiss to it. He cocked an eyebrow as he turned her hand over and placed a lingering kiss on the inside of her wrist. Lifting his head, he caught sight of the Ewok couple across the fire from them and hesitated, feeling both his eyebrows climb to his hairline.

"Maybe not quite as serious as those two, though." He nodded his head to direct her attention to their companions on the other side of the platform. The natives had abandoned all pretense of shyness. "Not yet, anyway."

Leia's jaw dropped, then she hurriedly turned her face away from the pair, looking back at Han with scandalized laughter in her eyes. "Oh, my. Perhaps we'd better give them some privacy."

"Unless you want to follow the local custom? What do you say, Princess? Right here, Ewok style?" Although he'd thought he was ready for Leia's playful assault, she was very fast, and he felt the familiar dig of a knuckle into his ribs despite his laughing attempts to block her. He was chastised more than usual when she managed to find a bruised spot, and he winced as he grabbed both of her hands in his to prevent further damage. "Well, they have the right idea if you ask me."

"Time to move, flyboy. Come on." Leia drew away, laughing softly, and got to her feet on the corrugated wooden platform before he could protest or pull her closer. She paused to straighten her rough-hewn dress and then pliantly stepped into his embrace as he stood and drew her against him for a long hug.

"Where did you have in mind?" he murmured into her hair, his warm hands spanning and encircling her waist.

She tilted her head back to look up at him. "How far is the _Falcon_?"

"About half a click. Lando said he set her down in the clearing near the bunker."

Leia nodded, appearing to consider their rather limited options in this suddenly crowded village within the treetops. "What about Chewie?"

"We're in a forest, sweetheart. Chewie won't sleep on board the _Falcon_ tonight. He'll be up a tree." As he spoke, he reached for one of the torches ensconced on one of the nearby poles and cast another amused glance at the amorous Ewoks.

"C'mon, Princess. Let's go before these two give me any more ideas."


	2. Chapter 2

**Full Disclosure**

By Susan Zahn and Erin Darroch

Chapter 2

 _The family you come from isn't as important as the family you're going to have._

-Ring Lardner

 _Just because everything is different doesn't mean anything has changed._

\- Irene Peter

Hand in hand, Leia walked with Han up the _Millennium Falcon_ 's boarding ramp and through the curving corridor towards the main hold. She sensed his hesitation as they reached the junction of the corridor leading to the cockpit and guessed why. The last time he'd looked at the old freighter, Lando was about to fly her into battle and Han had come away convinced he'd never see her again. This was a homecoming of sorts and she couldn't imagine begrudging him this basic urge to reunite with his beloved ship.

"Go ahead. I know you won't rest easy until you've checked her out."

Han gave her a grateful smile and tugged her close for a kiss. "Just a quick look and I'll close up the ship for the night. It won't take long, I promise."

"Those better not be famous last words," she teased, then nodded back toward the main hold. "Maybe I'll find us something to eat."

Han took a step backward, but didn't immediately release her hand, seeming content just to look at her for a long moment. She realized that this was a homecoming not just for Han, but for both of them; being alone with him aboard the _Falcon_ now reminded her that they'd had very little private time together since departing Tatooine. Events since his rescue had moved so quickly, and the emotional turmoil and new obstacles that had arisen had prevented the two of them from enjoying the sort of joyous reunion she'd imagined they would have. Although she'd never wavered in her own feelings for Han, she'd become acutely aware of his confusion and uncertainty over the past few days, and the rising surliness that had stemmed from it. Even when they'd finally had a moment for some intimacy on the night she'd told him about the second _Death Star_ , their hurried coupling had been desperate and charged with negative emotions rather than what it should have been. It was something for which she'd accepted full responsibility, and it had eaten at her conscience as they'd headed into battle. She was determined not to let that happen again.

With a brief squeeze of her hand and almost-palpable reluctance, Han eventually released her and turned to head toward the cockpit. She lingered to watch his familiar stride, then made her way into the main hold and headed for the little kitchenette. Once inside the close confines of the galley, she started popping open the overhead storage cabinets to glance through the contents, not really knowing what she wanted. There were some of the usual staples, favorite ingredients she recognized from the occasional meals Han and Chewie had treated Luke and herself to during those quiet nights on the Rebel base on Serricci, and then of course the weeks spent intimately acquainting herself with both this space and the man who owned it as they'd limped through the Anoat system.

The memory of those times gave her a wistful smile as she pulled out a sealed package of crackers and then turned to the chiller unit behind her. She didn't expect to find much fresh produce—there'd been no time or access to a market to restock, but she spotted potential in a round of sausage and remnants of a cheese wedge and pulled them out. Looking down at the rather sad collection on the small countertop, she wished there was some fresh fruit to go with it. That would have to be her first request the next time Han had the chance.

That thought made her pause and look up, hands resting on the edge of the counter. When _might_ his next chance be? For the first time in a long time, she genuinely had no idea what was going to happen tomorrow, nor any capacity to speculate further ahead. While she and Han had, in their own rather unique way, agreed that most of the old obstacles to a shared future were now eliminated, there remained a few new ones that they'd yet to contemplate, let alone work out. Her rank and position with the Rebellion was in flux—in fact, the entire state of the war had suddenly shifted—and Han had formally accepted a major commission, which meant that his smuggling days might be over. In an odd way, it was as if they'd switched positions. Add in the new development of blossoming Force ability and suddenly Leia's own path ahead was very murky indeed.

The reminder of that particular skill set left her with mixed feelings, despite Han's valiant and loving insistence that it didn't matter to him or change anything between them. He was right, of course—it was a part of her that had always been there, had in fact been something she'd even utilized on occasion, whether consciously or not. She stared down at her meager assemblage of food, her mind far away. Their discussion had brought up some valid points that hadn't occurred to her until then. Their active piecing together of all the little clues had actually helped her to realize some of the real benefits this particular gift presented, not just the drawbacks to having such a heritage that had plagued her thoughts since learning the truth.

Acting on an impulse, Leia closed her eyes. Drawing a slow breath, she cast her mind back to those moments when she'd sensed Luke's essence in the energy field that surrounded her—a dimension that she was only now keenly aware of, although it had always existed. Within a moment, faster and easier than before, she found her brother. It wasn't a clear picture or even a solid awareness, but rather a faint sensation of him being nearby, of happiness mingled with relief and grief. That last emotion was one she'd already encountered with him, during their private talk earlier in the night, and while she did not share his feelings in this case and suspected she never would, she respected his choice. Not entirely sure how to go about initiating communication with him, she nevertheless hoped he could sense and understand that she was safe and happy. Happier than she could ever remember being.

A new thought occurred to her then, and again on impulse Leia reached out through the Force, but this time she sought Han's presence in that mysterious dimension. At first there was nothing she recognized—indeed, there was nothing at all in her awareness of her immediate surroundings—but with another deep intake of air, she felt her senses slowly tuning in to her environment. Like watching the twinkling appearance of distant stars in a darkening sky, Leia gradually became aware of the abundance of life in the night forest surrounding the ship. With a thrill, she also identified a different sort of energy—just the flicker of a presence—of a human life force that was very close, and growing closer. The distinct signature was at once new and yet wonderfully familiar. The realization made her gasp in joy. Now _this_ …this was a gift she gladly welcomed!

Before she could process this discovery, there were footsteps on the decking behind her and a set of warm hands alighted upon her hips. Han's strong arms slipped around her waist as he gently drew her backwards into his embrace. It was enough to break her concentration, but she wasn't complaining. She opened her eyes and tilted her face up against his shoulder to receive his lingering kiss.

"Everything alright?" she asked as his lips left her mouth to continue placing kisses along her jawline. Shivering with pleasure, she leaned her head to one side to facilitate his progress towards the sensitive spot behind her ear.

"Nope, everything's _not_ alright." Han trailed his warm lips up the skin of her neck to murmur against her ear. "And tomorrow I'll be submitting a request for an entire sensor array replacement. I expect immediate approval and quick fulfillment."

"Only if you fill out the appropriate forms…." Leia's reply was soft and automatic, almost a whisper, as she relaxed and leaned back against his broad chest.

In the quiet stillness of the resting freighter, Han pressed a kiss against her temple, and simply held her in his arms. The mundanity of the moment, the sheer ordinariness and familiarity of Han muttering over the state of his beloved ship, and teasing her in the process, suddenly overwhelmed Leia. For months, she'd longed to be able to return to this peaceful place they'd briefly found on the way to Bespin; to find some normalcy—or what passed for it in their world—and have Han safe and well in her embrace. Tomorrow would come soon enough, but at least for tonight, they'd returned to being just Han and Leia.

Leia turned within the circle of his arms and lifted her face to find his hazel eyes. Suddenly she didn't feel like bantering anymore, or even eating. And whatever he saw in her expression, it seemed to be enough. Without another word, he leaned down and met her offered kiss, pulling her against him with both hands. Han's mouth moved against hers slowly, tenderly, at last indulging in the lingering, luxurious welcome that their circumstances had previously denied them. That kiss was followed by another, and then another, as the heat between them intensified. Han's arms tightened around her as he moved her backwards against the counter's edge. Reading his intent, Leia swiped behind her to shove the food out of the way as Han lifted her easily onto the small countertop and stepped between her legs.

"That's better," Han said with satisfaction, bunching up the fabric of her borrowed dress to expose her thighs to the touch of his hands. "Much better," he murmured against her lips. Breathless, Leia could only nod her agreement as his mouth again captured hers, and his warm hands slid under the edge of her skirt to graze the skin of her hips.

Instinct and desire made her wrap her bare legs around his waist, and she threaded her fingers through his thick hair, holding him still to extend and deepen their kiss. Now level with him, she could focus on rediscovering this man she'd come so close to losing. Six months of pent-up longing and heartache threatened to overwhelm her again, and she struggled to keep her emotions in check, to take her time. He was here now, and all hers. Tonight there was no need to rush.

Leia could feel Han begin to tug at the laces of her bodice. He broke off their kiss and pressed his forehead to hers, then bowed his head while he concentrated on undoing the top of her dress. Breathing deeply, she continued to run her fingers through his thick hair, but suddenly stopped as her fingers found something unexpected. "What the…?" She pulled away enough to see she'd picked a piece of twig out of his hair. She held it up for quick inspection, then drew back further and held the item between them. "A souvenir?" she teased with a smile.

"Huh, I can only imagine what's down _here_ …" he grinned back at her, while simultaneously slipping a hand inside the loosened top of her dress to find a perfectly hard nipple. She gasped and clutched him a little closer, then laughed at her own automatic response.

"If you find anything that doesn't belong down there, please just don't tell me," she breathed, as his fingertips again grazed the stiffened nipple.

Han's smiling eyes met hers even as his warm hand continued to caress the skin of her breast. "It's been a long day. I could use a hot shower. How about it?"

That was the second-best suggestion she'd heard all night and she simply nodded before leaning into his touch and sinking back into another deep kiss.

Eventually, it was their shared eagerness to advance that overcame their reluctance to halt. As usual, Han opted for the most straightforward solution. In a rare demonstration of his strength, he lifted her again and, with her legs securely locked around his waist and her arms wrapped around his neck, walked them toward the bunkroom. Just outside the threshold of the fresher, he set her down on her feet.

"You first," he said as he began removing her clothing. Lifting her arms up so he could pull the thin dress up and off of her, Leia simultaneously toed off the leather sandals she'd found amongst the Ewoks' worryingly large collection of human-sized clothing, and kicked them aside. As Han pulled the white underblouse over her head, she shivered, glad to be rid of items of such dubious origin. Left in nothing but her undergarments, she might have felt exposed, vulnerable and cold; instead, she felt a warm blush of pleasure suffusing her body as Han took a step back and eyed her with open desire.

"You _are_ beautiful," he murmured reverently, his hazel eyes scanning up and down her figure. His gaze returned to the bacta wrap encircling her upper arm. "How's the burn?"

She glanced at it and closed the distance between them with a step. "It itches," she said dismissively. "Hardly notice it anymore. How are your ribs?"

"They're still there."

She rolled her eyes. "Let me see," she commanded softly, slipping her hands under the hem of his shirt and running her fingertips around the smooth muscles of his torso. Obligingly, he reached back over his shoulders to pull the shirt off over his head.

Leia sighed with some dismay as his bare skin came into view. The place where he'd been savagely kicked by Lando's guard some six months ago had belatedly bloomed into a splotch of unnatural colors—purple, green, and sickly yellow—that stretched around the curve of his rib cage.

"It always gets worse just before it gets better," Han shrugged. "I'll live."

Leia held his gaze as she reached down to unsnap the thigh tie-down and undo the buckle of his holster rig, then let it drop onto the pile of clothing accumulating on the deck. She then proceeded to unfasten his belt and slipped her fingers into the waistband of his trousers to tug him closer. "Let me see the rest of you."

Their remaining clothes swiftly joined the pile on the floor. As soon as Han was naked in front of her, Leia was drawn irresistibly to embrace his lean frame, to feel his skin against her own. His strong arms encircled her as he pulled her against the length of him, and he leaned down for a lingering kiss. For a while, Leia was lost in the simple pleasure of Han's mouth moving against hers, his warm hands roaming her body in soft caresses, and the stirrings of his arousal against her belly. She sighed as their lips finally parted, and then gazed up into his smiling eyes. This moment was one she'd yearned for and dreamed of for six lonely months. She was still struggling to absorb the fact that their long separation was truly over.

"Come on," she said as she finally moved into the tight confines of the fresher, drew open the shower door, and started the water tap. "This is going to feel so good." She stood at the edge of the chamber and tested the water temperature, waiting for it to warm up, then stepped under the spray. Han was right behind her and she tried to make enough room for his large frame in the tiny space without actually having to touch the cool wall at her back.

During the long trip to Bespin, the need to carefully conserve resources had been their convenient excuse to share showers, but it had also necessitated keeping the activity relatively brief. During that time, they'd developed a comfortable and efficient pattern of showering together, and already they were falling into it once again, although water conservation was not a concern tonight. Leia closed her eyes and enjoyed the sheer indulgence of hot water pouring over her, the jets pounding steadily into her skin and soaking her unbound hair. Whether she had intended it or not, over the past couple of years she'd developed a strong association between this pleasure and Han, and she suspected he was well aware of that fact.

"Have I mentioned how much I love this shower?" she murmured, eyes still closed.

"I might have noticed," Han said dryly, as he reached over to the soap dispenser installed in the wall and took a generous amount of gel into his hand. He began to work it gently into her hair, massaging her scalp with his fingertips and drawing a soft groan of pleasure from her in the process.

Leia was silent for a long moment, content to let him work. Then she sighed. "I've been thinking about this for six months."

"What? This shower?"

"With you."

"Ah," Han's smile was audible as he playfully piled her lathered hair into a loose knot atop the crown of her head. She opened her eyes then, squinting against the spray of the water, and slipped her hands over his shoulders, stretching up to claim another kiss.

As he proceeded to rinse the suds from her hair and then drew another dollop of cleanser to begin working over the rest of her body, gradually sinking down to a crouch, Leia sighed and allowed the sensations of his strong hands slickly gliding over her skin to clear her mind as well. The feeling of his soapy hand moving gently between her legs almost made her knees buckle, and she had to grip his shoulders for balance. Eventually he finished lathering her legs and feet, and then his hands slid back up to her hips to hold her steady as he pressed his lips against the flat plane of her belly.

She opened her eyes and reached for the soap. "Your turn," she murmured in warning before beginning to work the cleanser into his wet hair. Han remained crouched in place for a moment longer, eyes closed against the spray of the water, idly planting warm kisses up the slope of her abdomen as she worked his hair into a lather. When his lips reached a breast and he drew a rigid nipple into his mouth, she clutched him a little closer and closed her eyes to focus on the sensations he was creating with his tongue. A little moan escaped her throat, then, and he rose to his full height to pull her against him once more. Leia realized dazedly that they were losing sight of the task at hand.

"Turn," she directed. With a smirk, he obliged and braced a hand against the smooth surface of the shower wall, bowing his head under the stream of water as Leia applied another handful of cleanser to the skin of his shoulders, then ran her hands along the firm muscles of his arms and down his sides. Reaching up, she ran her soapy hands across the broad plain of his back and down his spine, slipping lower to caress his buttocks and finally crouching for a moment to give the same loving attention to each leg. His heavy sigh told her that he was enjoying her devotion to detail. As she stood, she took another dollop of soap and wrapped her arms around him from behind. Deliberately rubbing her slippery body against his back, she blindly lathered the skin of his chest and stomach, allowing her hands to wander up and down the length of his torso as she pressed tender kisses against his shoulder blade. She moved her hands gradually lower, sliding palms-down against the taut skin of his belly and reaching lower still, until she could take him in hand. She was gratified by his reaction as he stiffened against her and within her grip. Smiling against his bare back, she played her fingers along his erection, tracing the rock-hard contours of rigid tissue and bulging veins under velvety soft skin. Wrapping her hand around him, she gave a firm but gentle stroke, then another, teasing a groan of pleasure out of him.

"Gods, Leia." Han lifted a hand to the main showerhead and redirected the spray of the water over them to rinse the last of the soap away, then powered the shower off. Turning within the tight confines of the enclosure, he took her into his arms again. She lifted her face to his and kissed him, smiling against his lips as she felt him heft the weight of her dripping hair off of her back and gently but thoroughly wring the water from it. Her hands wandered freely over his body as they kissed, reveling in his powerful response to her touch.

Han exited first, reaching to the inset shelf for the plushest towel in his small collection and turning to wrap her in it as she stepped out of the enclosure as well. She submitted to his gentle ministrations, smiling faintly as he then blotted the rest of the water from her hair and ran the soft towel over her body. His hazel eyes roamed over every centim of her skin as he worked, reverent and adoring.

"I love the way you look at me," Leia murmured as she watched his face.

Han paused and met her eyes in a lingering gaze, a look of new understanding in his smoldering expression, then quirked a smile at her as he bent to dab the last beads of water from her legs. When he'd finished, she returned the favor and reached up to tousle his hair with a new towel. She paused for a moment to smile at her handiwork, loving the disheveled appearance of his damp hair and feeling amused by how she could find this look, with his hair unkempt and a hint of stubble on his jaw, sexier than when he was at his most polished. She began wicking the water off of him as she refreshed her memory of every detail of his tall form. Their extended separation had made her realize just how much she adored his handsome build, solid and a little on the lanky side, with just the right amount of muscle definition and hair so that the very thought of him was enough to arouse a very deep and primal need in her. She'd spent six agonizing months desperately missing him, with nothing but dreams and fantasies and memories to tide her over until she could find him again. Unbidden thoughts of that dark time made her stop now, towel forgotten, as she let her fingertips trail up along the bulge of his upper arm, then across his collarbone, and then down along the muscled lines of his torso before eventually tracing the oblique one at his hip. She'd come too close to losing him forever.

"I missed you so much…."

Han gently caught her hand in his, drawing her attention back up to his face, clearly noticing the slight change in her mood and derailing her melancholy before it could take over. "I'm here. And I'm not going anywhere."

His reassuring words drew a pleased smile from her as he removed the towel from her other hand and tossed it aside. Whether or not she always approved, he did have impeccable timing.

Without another word, he led her back into the bunkroom toward the central, oversized bunk that had gradually become _theirs_ during the monthlong trip to Bespin. As he drew back the blanket and top sheet so that she could slide into the bunk ahead of him, Leia was reminded of the first time she'd climbed into it of her own accord, skin flushed and heart pounding from nervous excitement. As he reached to dim the overhead lights, she smiled broadly at the sight of his powerful, aroused body, admiring the bunching and flexing of his muscles as he moved. So much had changed since then.

Leia shifted to make room as Han moved to lie alongside her, the heat of his long body warming the cozy space. Her skin had started to chill from exposure to the air, and she wriggled into his embrace, sighing with contentment as he settled on his side facing her and pulled the covers over them both. Boldly, Leia pressed her body against his, dragging one knee up along his thigh and wrapping her leg around his hip. His response was immediate and powerful. Sliding both arms around her, he pulled her small body hard against him and dipped his head down to kiss her. His mouth was hot and the feeling of his straining erection against her belly excited her beyond measure. A soft moan escaped her as he ground his whole body against hers, and Han's lips traced the source of the sound, sucking and nipping down the skin of her throat as she arched against him, already breathless and gasping with need.

The friction they were generating rapidly increased the temperature under the thin blanket and it wasn't long before Leia reached to shove it impatiently down and away from their bodies as they continued to move together. She wound her arms around his neck, secure in his grasp as he shifted further onto his back, bringing her to lie half-atop him and freeing his hands to explore her body. They moved together mindlessly then, kissing and caressing with abandon, smiling at each other in the dim light as their eyes caught, reveling in the mutual pleasure of being alone together at last. Leia became lost in sensation, no longer thinking of anything at all, as his roaming hands erased the chill from her skin and his muscular body moved beneath her.

But as close as they were, skin against skin, legs entangled, it wasn't enough. Bracing her hands on his shoulders, she rose above him, shifting to straddle his narrow hips and rolling with him as he settled squarely onto his back. Her damp hair spilled over her shoulders and cascaded over her breasts, long strands trailing against the skin of his abdomen as she undulated over him, wantonly rubbing her core against the length of his erection. She grinned down at him, enjoying his expression of heated desire, as he growled in response and grabbed her hips to control her speed. Leia fixed him with a purposeful look then, and angled her hips against him in wordless demand. Despite her earlier resolution to take her time, she was growing impatient to experience again the sense of completion that she always felt with him inside her.

Han shifted again to calm her movements, teasing her and lifting her bodily with the rise of his hips, before pulling her shoulders down to bring her close enough for a kiss, demonstrating just how adept he was becoming at handling her in every mood. As his mouth moved against hers, his hands seemed to be everywhere at once, caressing the skin of her arms and shoulders, gliding down the slope of her back and over the swell of her hips, stroking the trembling muscles of her thighs and calves. The sound of her own soft moans and Han's heavy breathing filled the air, and heightened Leia's arousal even more. Then she felt his abdominal muscles bunch against her belly as he sat up and wrapped her entirely in his arms, his face buried in the curve of her neck, planting hot kisses there, too. Leia gasped and leaned back on his lap to give him room as he lowered his head, his lips blazing streaks of fire from the sensitive spot behind her ear to the tip of one breast. She clutched at him, fingers tangling in his thick hair as she arched against his roaming mouth.

Still astride him, she shifted her weight to her knees, intending to reach between them and guide him inside. Before she could accomplish her objective, though, Han rolled her onto her back in one swift movement and settled between her legs, his large frame looming over her before he bent down to begin nuzzling his way down to one breast, as his hand slid up to caress the other. Leia's mind became a perfect void, her head filled with nothing but a pleasurable buzz of sensation. His mouth covered one stiff nipple, drawing it between his lips, sucking and rolling his hot tongue around the rigid flesh, even as his work-roughened fingers stroked and pulled at the other. The combination of the two sensations caused a spike of intense pleasure, and Leia heard herself let out a ragged moan. He'd yet to make a move to enter her, however, and although for an instant she was reminded of her original intention of making their time together last as long as possible, she'd never been a very patient person.

"Han," she breathed as he moved his hips against her, teasing but not fulfilling her clear desire to be joined with him. This wasn't the first time he'd reduced her to begging, and it never failed to have the desired effect of ramping up that delicious agony even more.

"Leia?" he murmured against the swell of her breast. She could feel his smile against her skin as he dragged his mouth over to suckle briefly on the other erect nipple. He ran a hand down to her hip, then lower still, to cup her bottom and pull her firmly against his rigid erection. He put his mouth to her ear. "Is this what you want?" he asked, letting his voice drop to a subterranean level.

"Yes," she gasped, gripping the edge of the bunk mattress with one hand while pulling at his shoulder with the other, willing him not to deny her anymore. His voice always had a powerful effect on her, particularly the deep register, and he was quite adept at wielding it to excite her.

"Tell me."

Leia's eyes locked on his, her emotions suddenly a very familiar mix of lust and frustration and elation, and she nearly laughed. His ability to drive her crazy clearly had not diminished. Because her former life had relied on her skill with words, he'd always found a perverse pleasure in rendering her speechless. At that moment she could barely form thoughts, let alone piece together a coherent response, and the bawdy words he was trying to tease from her came even harder. Then she _did_ laugh.

"I see," he smirked before diving back down to devour a breast once more, causing her to writhe in helplessness. "Or maybe you want this…?" he breathed against her solar plexus before using the tip of his tongue to draw a slow but direct line down toward her belly.

Her ability to think abandoned her completely then, with her breathing not far behind, and her entire body trembled beneath his knowledgeable touch. Her fingers clutched at his damp hair as he worked his way lower down her body, kissing her hip bone and the skin of her inner thigh before nuzzling between her legs. She could feel his smile against her skin as she lifted her hips to meet his mouth, and then his fingers, lips, and tongue took over, erasing everything but pure sensation. The warmth of his breath was exciting enough, but the intimate caress of his fingertips and the extraordinary heat of his tongue was intense, and Leia couldn't help moaning again. She half-opened her eyes to gaze down the length of herself and was inflamed by the sight of his tousled head buried between her legs. With intense concentration, she closed her eyes again to focus on his tender explorations, gasping as he slipped a finger deep inside to stroke in counterpoint to the hot slide of his tongue. His gentle, rhythmic touch began to draw soft keening sounds from her throat with each movement. Han groaned then, the sound of his deep voice and the vibration of it against her flesh adding another level of intensity to Leia's arousal. She was already near a state of frenzy even before the stroke of his tongue curled around her tender flesh in just the right way, over and over again, sending her spiralling over the edge. She arched and cried out, jerking involuntarily as Han's persistent touch drew every last trace of tension from her body. Throbbing and a bit dazed at the speed of her own response, Leia was only dimly aware of him rising above her again. Her eyes fluttered and she opened her legs wider as his hips came to rest against hers once more.

She wanted to say something then, to express the depth of her feeling for him and the sheer joy she felt at having him home, safe and well in her arms. But looking up into his eyes, she saw that words were utterly unnecessary. He knew. He understood everything.

Han resumed planting random kisses everywhere on her flushed body, landing the occasional caress on a nipple that made her nearly jump with overload. Then he settled in for a long, deep kiss on her mouth as his talented hand resumed a careful stroke below, banking her passion while giving her time to recover. It wasn't long at all before that delicious sensation of pending explosion began to build again and she clutched at him, pushing her hips against his hand in clear invitation.

Moving with great deliberation, Han positioned himself and entered her, groaning with pleasure as he lodged himself deep inside her body with a single, powerful thrust. Leia's guttural cry was as much from relief and happiness as it was pure gratification. She gazed up at him, dazedly reaching to caress his face as she moved instinctively against him, giving her body a moment to adjust to the feeling of fullness that was at once deliciously familiar but still novel. The sensation of completion, of reunion, somehow transcended everything she remembered and caused her entire body to tremble. As good as their lovemaking had always been, something had changed and she was stunned by the sheer power of it, incapable of analyzing it, only knowing that there was something else at work between them, something she wondered if he could sense as well.

"Leia…" he groaned, as if her very name were a plea to some high power, and turned his face to kiss her palm before gazing down at her again. She'd always found so much in his eyes whenever she'd dared to look beyond the surface, and now the level of adoration and passion she read there, the one-hundred percent conviction behind it, took her breath away once more.

She wrapped her legs around him to hold him close, even as he drew back enough to push in again. One powerful arm pulled her tight against him as his hips drove him home yet again, forcing a gasp from Leia's lips that turned into a series of wordless vocalizations as he began moving steadily within her. The weight of him above her and the warmth of him inside her was deeply satisfying, and Leia found her hips rising to meet every thrust, yearning for the feeling of fullness over and over again. Their heavy breathing and the sounds that their bodies were making together heightened Leia's arousal even more. There was a bright nova of energy growing within her, inexorable as it slowly spread up her spine and promised to engulf her.

"Sweetheart…" Han whispered another invocation as his mouth claimed hers again. Their tongues entwined briefly before he dropped his head down to her shoulder and increased his pace. Her own movements became equally insistent, hands gripping his hips to aid his driving rhythm, tilting her own hips and grinding against him in desperate urgency. The dim room seemed to darken further as her awareness shrank down to the supernova building within her. Han's movements became more forceful, and Leia's body began to shake as her core tightened and spasmed around him, pulsing with each of his thrusts as every nerve ending lit up. He moaned her name again, hot against her ear, as he finally shuddered to a halt and dropped like a stone.

As Leia gradually regained her senses and breath, she drew the fingertips of both hands in mindless patterns over the taut skin of his entire back, reveling in the heat of her deep flush and the weight of his body pressing her into the mattress. In the endless time of their separation, she'd forgotten this little pleasure of being pinned beneath him as he recovered at his own pace, feeling his gradual diminishment inside her. She pressed a kiss against the hot skin of his shoulder and wrapped her arms around him.

Han eventually lifted himself off to settle down beside her, then leaned in to share a lingering kiss—gentle, giving, and reaffirming. Then he rolled onto his back and stretched out with a deep sigh that spoke of complete satisfaction. Ducking under his embracing arm, Leia wrapped herself around him, her head on his shoulder, one arm and one leg draped over his relaxed body.

She was content just to look up at him for a while, enjoying the peaceful quiet while savoring the sight of his handsome features from her close perspective. His eyes were closed, and for a moment she wondered if he was falling asleep, but then a very distinct and gratified smile lit up his face, and he rocked his head to the side to find her eyes. "I don't know about you, Sweetheart, but that felt pretty serious to me."

Glad he was still awake, she grinned back at him. "Almost as serious as our Ewok friends…?"

Her teasing tone had been meant to match his quip, to keep the moment light, but Han's expression grew thoughtful, almost solemn. Dislodging her from her cozy position, he rose up on one elbow to look down at her, his other hand sliding around the curve of her waist, as she reached back to pull a pillow under her head.

"Leia," he said, his voice a low rumble in the silent room. "Tell me what you want."

The sudden intensity of his expression made Leia's breath catch in her throat. She swallowed, her thoughts suddenly racing again as she considered the implications of his question.

"What I want?" she echoed faintly, reaching up to twine her fingers through his rumpled hair. "I want you."

"You've got me," he said softly. "You know what I mean."

As her eyes met his again, she recognized that his question wasn't an idle one. He expected an answer, and he deserved her honesty. She blinked and paused, trying to gather the words she wished to say. But what she wanted was simple, and was best expressed that way. She trailed her hand down over the swell of his chest to place her palm over his heart.

"I want…never to be separated from you. Not like that. Wondering where you are, or if I'll ever see you again." She allowed her gaze to linger on his. "I just want us to be together, wherever that takes us."

Leia paused again, belatedly realizing she'd perhaps made a huge assumption—that such a statement might seem to place too much pressure on him to make a formal commitment he wasn't prepared to make. Feeling slightly uncertain, she clarified. "I'm not asking for a promise…."

Han's eyes twinkled with the touch of a smile. Holding her gaze, he leaned in for a tender kiss, murmuring words she hadn't realized she'd been longing to hear.

"Well, I _am_ promising you, Leia. Together. Wherever that takes us."

 **The End**

 **Note:** Many thanks to our lovely beta readers: CorieMariee, BonesBooth206, YellinYee, and Marjorie Joyce.


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